Flooring jack



| H. LAB

FLOORING JACK March 18, 1952 Filed Feb. e, 1950 I /JY A npenor LEO H.LAB n y Patented Mar. 18, `1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

This invention relates in general to an im- 'A proved flooring jack, andmore particularly to a type thereof for positioning and holding a floorboard against an adjacent board and upon means, such as rafters or asubfloor, to which said floor board is to be secured.

Persons, such as carpenters, have long recognized the need for an easilyoperable, inexpensive, positive acting device, herein referred to as aflooring jack, for positioning and holding a floor board against anadjacent board and upon a supporting means, such as rafters or asubfloor, while being secured thereto, as by nailing. Such a flooringjack is particularly desirable in laying oor boards of the tongue andgroove type. Previous attempts to produce such a flooring jack haveeither failed or have resulted in a device receiving very limitedacceptance at best.

Accordingly, a primary object of this invention is the provision of animproved flooring jack for positively engaging, positioning and holdinga floor board against an adjacent board andupon supporting means, suchas rafters or a subfloor, upon which said floor board is to be secured.

A further object of this invention is the provision of a `flooring jack,as aforesaid, which can be easily operated by unskilled workmen andwhich affords a high mechanical advantage.

A further object of this invention is the provision of a flooring jack,as aforesaid, which can be quickly assembled or disassembled for easytransport.

A further object of this invention is the provision of a flooring jack,as aforesaid, which is safe to operate and adequate in structure undersevere conditions of operation.

Other objects and purposes of this invention will become apparent topersons familiar with this type of equipment upon referring to theaccompanying drawings and upon reading the following specification.

In meeting those objects and purposes heretofore mentioned, as well asothers incidental thereto and associated therewith, I have provided aflooring jack comprising a body member having a cylindrical passagetherein opening through one end thereof, and a crossbar secured to theopposite end. One end of a thrust bar is slideably disposed within thepassage in said body member and extends therefrom, the extended endbeing provided with a weight and a plurality of pointed pins extendingsubstantially radially from said bar. A lever handle is pivotallysupported near one end thereof upon said body member so that said nearend is engageable with said bar, and further so that said handle extendsin the opposite direction to the extent of said pins.

Thus, when said flooring jack is assembled, a

movement of said lever handle will effect a cor,

vresponding movement of said thrust bar within said passage. The leverhandle is pivoted upon the body member byvmeans permitting completedisengagement of the thrust bar and the lever handle from the bodymember.

For illustrations of a preferred embodiment of my invention, attentionis directed to the accompanying drawing in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation view of the flooring jack to which thisinvention relates.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken along the line .II-II of Figure l.

Figure 3 is a sectional view substantially as taken along the lineIII-III of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a sectional view substantially as taken along the line IV-IVof Figure 3.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the flooring jack I is comprised of aT-shaped body member II, a thrust bar I2 and a lever handle I3. The bodymember II has a stem I4, which is substantially cylindrical in thisembodiment of the invention, and a flange, or crossbar I5, which ispreferably integral intermediate the ends thereof with one end of thestem I4, and perpendicularly disposed with respect thereto. The crossbarI5 is provided with a groove I6 extending along the side thereof remotefrom the stem I4. Said groove is preferably slightly deeper and slightlyWider than the average length and thickness of the` tongue I'I On astandard tongued and grooved oor board I8.

A strike boss 2| (Figure 2) may be provided on the cross bar I5 on theopposite side thereof from the groove I5 for purposes hereinafterdiscussed in detail. The strike boss 2I preferably, but not necessarily,extends in the same direction as the stem I4, and is disposedintermediate said stem and one end of said crossbar I5.

The stem I4 is provided with a pair of spaced,`

substantially parallel and co-extensive, lever bosses 22 and 23 (Figures2 and 4) which are integral with said stem I4 and extend in a directionsubstantially perpendicular to a plane defined by the stem I4 and thecrossbar I5. Said lever bosses are provided with a pair of co-axialthrough the opposite end of the stem. An elOngated lever slot 21,parallel with and radially penetrating the Wall of the stem I4 andcommunicating with the passage 26 therein, is pro-.-

3 vided in said stem between the lever bosses 22 and 23.

The thrust bar I2 (Figures 1 and 3) is comprised of an elongatedcylindrical portion 28, which is snugly but slideably receivable withinthe cylindrical passage 25 in the stem I4, and is slightly longer thansaid passage 26. A Weight portion 29, whichis preferably integral withsaid cylindrical portion 28, is disposed at that end thereof whichextends out of the passage 26. A plurality, here three, of gripping pins3l are secured to the weight portion 2d so that they extend therefrom insubstantially the same direction, which direction is preferably, but notnecessarily, at an angle of approximately 70 degrees to the longitudinalaxis of the cylindrical portion 28, and preferably inclined awaytherefrom. The cylindrical portion 28 of the thrust bar I2 is providedwith a diametrically disposed lever opening 32 (Figures 3 and 4) whichis preferably perpendicularly disposed to an imaginary line through thepoints or" the gripping pins 3l. The lever opening 32 is positioned inthe cylindrical portion Z8 for alignment with substantially any portionofthe lever slot 2, when said portion 28 is disposed within the passage2B.

If the body member II and thrust bar I2 are cast from a relatively lightand soft material,

such as aluminum or magnesium, the lever opening 32 in the thrust bar I2is preferably provided with a steel insert 33 at the end thereofadjacent tothe weight 2S.

The lever handle I3 (Figures 1, 3 and 4 is comprised of a relativelylong, handle portion 34, and a relatively short, lever portion 35integral and co-axial with said handle portion 3d. The lever portion 35is designed for insertion through the lever slot 2l and into the leveropen ing 32 in the thrust bar l2, said lever portion being snuglyengaged by the end walls of the lever opening 32. The lever handle i3 isprovided with a pivot opening 35 at the junction of the handle and leverportions thereof, which is alignable with the pivot openings 25;- and 25in the lever bosses 22 and 23, respectively, when the lever portion 35is disposed within the lever opening 32 in the thrust bar l 2. A pivotpin 3l, which is inserted through the pivot openings 24, 25 and 38, issufficiently long to be engaged by means, such as a cotter pin 38, forretaining said pivot pin 3l in place.Y

When thus assembled, the lever handle i3 is pivotable through an arc inexcess of 90 degrees, including Zi5 degrees to either side of a verticalposition.

When the flooring jack Iii is assembled, as above described, it is readyfor operation. In

using said flooring jack, the crossbar I5 is preferably nrst placedagainst the edge of a floor board I8 (Figure l). rThe upper end of thelever handle i3 is then moved in a direction away from said floor board,I8, thereby causing the If the ooring jack I is being used with floorboards I8 of the tongue and groove type, engagement between the tongueIl and the groove I5 in the crossbar i5 may be weightV 2g on the thrustbar l2 to be drawn tor -ward the stem lf.

insured by tapping the extended end or" the strike The effecting atendency for the extension of the thrust bar I2 out of the cylindricalpassage 26 in the stem Id. However, since the gripping pins SI areimbedded in the sub-floor 39, movement of the thrust bar issubstantially prevented. Thus, said movement of the lever handle I3toward the floor board IB causes the crossbar I5 to bear tightly againstthe floor board I8, thereby pressing said loor board firmly against theboard, or other means, adjacent to that side of the door board I8 remotefrom the crossbar I5.

After the floor board I8 has been permanently placed in position, as bynailing, the ooring jack may be disengaged from said floor board i8, foruse with the next floor board to be laid, by simply moving the upper endof the lever handle I3 toward the Iweight 29, or away from the floorboard I8. The operation above described may then be repeated with saidnext floor board.

After the use of the flooring jack IIB has been completed, it may bedisassembled for easy transportation by removing the pivot pin Sl,thereby permitting the disengagement oi' the lever handle I3 and 'thethrust Ybar I2 from the body member.

Although the above mentioned drawings and description appy to oneparticular, preferred embodiment of the invention, it is not myintention, implied or otherwise, to eliminate other variations ormodifications which do not depart from the scope of the invention unlessspecically stated to the contrary in the hereinafter appended claim.

claim:

In a device for positioning a floor board against an adjacent board andupon a supporting means, the combination comprising: a cylindrical bodymember having a coaxial passage therein opening through one end thereof,said member having an axially aligned slot extending thereinto andcommunicating with said passage intermediate its ends; a pair ofparallel, coextensive bosses secured to said member along oppositelongitudinal edges of said slot; a cross bar secured to the other end ofsaid member and defining therewith a plane perpendicular to said bosses,said cross bar having a groove along that side remote from said memberand having a boss on the opposite side thereof spaced from said member;a thrust bar having one end slidably disposed within said passage andhaving an opening therethrough near said one end and aligned with saidslot, the other end of said bar being weighted and having gripping meansextending therefrom in a direction substantially perpendicular to saidplane and remote from said slot; and a lever having one end extendingthrough said slot and into said opening, and pivotally supported nearsaid one end upon said bosses, whereby movement of said lever towardsaid cross bar effects movement of said thrust bar with respect to saidmember.

LEO H. LAB.

REFERENGES CL'TED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Y 214,078 Austin Apr. 8, 1879975,566 Norton Nov. 15, 1910 1,851,489' Brook. Mar. 29, 1932

